Evaporator for refrigerating machines of the flooded type



Jan. 14, 1930. A. J. KUSEL ET AL 1,743,896

EVAPORATQR FOR REFRIGERATING MACHINES OF THE FLOODED TYPE Filed July 7, '1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 14, 1930. A. J. KUSEL ETAL 1,743,896

EVAPORATOR FOR REFRIGERATING MACHINES OF THE FLOODED. TYPE Filed July '7. 1927 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABRAHAM J. KUSEL, F ASHIBURTON, BADTIMORE, AND GEORGE W. GAIL, OF RUXTON,

MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO KULAIR CORPORATION, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE EVAPORATOR FOR REFRIGERATING MACHINES OF THE FLOODED TYPE Application filed July 7,

This invention relates to certain improvements in domestic refrigerating machines of the flooded type, with particular reference to the evaporator construction and arrangement for use in connection with this form of refrigerating apparatus. I

In the present instance the evaporator or heat exchange element, is similar to that part of the apparatus as disclosed in applicants copending applications Serial Nos. 160,960 and 168,743, but with certain changes in construction and arrangement necessary to adapt the same to a flooded type of refrigerating machine.

The object ofthe present invention is the production of a simple, compact and efficient device of the class indicated, Well adapted to quantity production at the minimum cost, capable of producing the required refrigeration for the box and at the same time making it possible to freeze the maximum quantity of ice in the ice pans supported thereby in.

a novel and simple manner. r

Heretofore, evaporator elements of the flooded type of refrigerating apparatus have been almost entirely limited to pipe coils,mak-

ing it necessary to provide a number of pipe connections where both the inlet and outlet ends of'the pipes connect with the header or reservoir for the liquid refrigerant. Moreover the ice pans are not so easily associated with the coil type of evaporator and in addition the coils are expensive and more diflicult to assemble and maintain in their assembled relation. This pipe coil construction in the flooded type of machine, is in reality not a single coil, but a. multiplicity of pipe loops suspended from the header or liquid refrigerant reservoir and each end of each loop necessitates. an absolutely tight communicating connection with the header or reservoir and each loop has to be maintained in spaced relation with respect to its adjoining loop.

--In the instant construction and arrangement as illustrated, which is of course merely one form of the invention, the improved apparatus comprises four vertically spaced, parallel plate like evaporator units, the lower ends of said units being connected together by spacing strips or similar members in 1927. Serial N0. 204,105

such a manner as to provide a relatively large intermediate space between pairs of plate like evaporator units, the spacing between the respective units of each pair of plate like units, being relatively less than the spacing between the pairs of units.

In assembling the evaporator units the flat sides thereof are faced inwardly and'the large intermediate space above referred to forms the enclosure for a vertical row of ice pans. These pans are supported upon cross members or straps secured at each end to the inner flat sides of the adjacent evaporator units, forming shelves for supporting the ice pans. There will be as many of these shelves as the size and height of the evaporator element will permit, said shelves filling the entire space between these intermediate evaporator units.

The inlet and outlet passageways of each flat unit are located at the upper edges of said units and said passageways are connected by short tubes or pipe sections to the main, header or liquid refrigerant receptacle disposed above the assembled units in proper,

relation thereto, the outlet connections from the respective flat plate like units entering the main header at points above the points of communicationfor the inlet connections to the evaporator units, in the customary manner. These outlet connections are also larger than the inlet connections and as shown there is only one outlet and one inlet for each unit, butobviously this arrangement is capable of variations as desired. To make a more complete enclosure for the ice pans an additional evaporator unit may be added to the rear of the element, as shown in the drawings in dotted lines,the inlet and outlet connections of this unit entering the end of the reservoir. As distinguished from applicants prior constructions of evaporator units disclosed in the two above referred to applications, the passageways formed by the assembled corrugated and fiat sheets, are not of a. serpentine character, which construction obviously would not be adaptable to a flooded type of refrigerating apparatus. present instance the corrugated sheet is formed With oppositely arranged parallel head- In the, i

'sheet 7 is provided er grooves, connected by a series of parallel grooves and each header groove is formed with one or more passageways, providing the inlet and outlet connections to the reservoir for the liquid refrigerant.

Although, as shown, only four evaporator units are used, it is of course obvious that this number can be increased or decreased according to the size of machine and the ca pacity required.

It also may be desirable to use the assembly as a cooling or refrigerating element only, in which event the ice pans could be dispensed with and additional evaporator units inserted in this space.

The preferred form of the invention and some of its modifications are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating the assembled evaporator element as used-with a flooded system;

Fig. 2 is a side'elevation showing an alternative addition indicated in dotted lines, and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Figs. 4 to 7 mclusiye illustrate various modifications of the evaporator unit all of which however involve the same general idea; an

Fig. 8 is a detail view in cross section illustrating the manner of connecting the inletand outlet pipes with their respective communicating passageways formed in the evaporator unit.

Referring to the drawings in detail and with particular reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the improved apparatus comprises a series of spaced, vertically disposed evaporator units, which for the purpose of description will be termed outside units 1 and intermediate units 2, embracing at their rear edges, if desired, an additional unit 3 which latter is shown in dotted lines.

These first mentioned'evaporator units 1 and 2 are preferably spaced apart as shown, the spacing between the intermediate units 2 being greater than the spacing between these respective units. and the adjacent outside units 1 in orderto provide the necessary compartment for a series of ice pans 4. These 1ce pans 4 are supported upon plates 5 securedat their ends to the inner faces of the intermediate evaporator units 2, in any preferred manner, said plates 5 not only providing shelves for the pans 4 but also forming tie or spacing members for said intermediate units 2. These plates 5 may, if desired, be provided with perforations to permit air circulation within the ice compartment. The support 6 for the lowermost pan 4 however, is preferably in the form of an imperforate rectangular flat sheet completely filling in the space between the said intermediate units 2 and extending from front to rear thereof. Likewise a similar flat plate or at the top edges of the units 2, said plates 6 and 7 providing a more complete enclosure for the ice pans 4 and at the same time giving the assembled structure the necessary rigidity and strength desired.

The enclosure is made more complete and the structure is further strengthened by the addition of the back evaporator unit 3 as shown in dotted lines, said unit being secured in any convenient manner, to the rear edges of the evaporator units 1 and 2. This back unit 3, however, is not absolutely necessary and in some instances may be entirely dispensed with or only extend between the units 2.

Disposed between the lower edges of the intermediate evaporator units 2 and the -lower edges of the adjacent outside units 1 are tie members or straps 8 for securing said parts together and maintaining them in proper spaced relation.

Mounted above these assembled units, and to complete the evaporator element, is a main header or reservoir 9 for the liquid refrigerant, supplied thereto through a pipe 10 from the condenser of the remaining part of the refrigerating apparatus, not shown. The reservoir 9 is also provided with a return pipe 11 running to the intake of the compressor (not shown) in an obvious manner. It is to be further understood that the reservoir, is in addition, supplied with a float valve or the like, whereby the proper amount of liquid refrigerant is maintained in said reservoir during the operation and functioning of the evaporator element as is customary in systems of this type.

Connecting the individual evaporator units 1, 2 and 3 with the header or reservoir 9 are inlet and outlet pipes 12 and 13 respectively, the outlet or return pipes 13 bein .of larger diameter than the inlet pipes 12 w ich is the usual practice for obvious reasons.

The evaporator units 1, 2 and 3 each comprise a fiat plate 14 and a superimposed corrugated plate 15 and are identical in construction, and of the same general type, as disclosed in applicants copending applications previously referred to, but differ therefrom in certain structural details necessary to adapt the same to a flooded type of refrigerating apparatus. This distinction resides in the specific arrangement of the grooved passageways formed in the corrugated sheet 15. In the prior constructions the passageways were of a continuous serpentine form and obviously. not suitable for a flooded system. In the present instance, the corrugated plate 15 is provided with upper and lower that unit. The upper header groove 16 of each unit is likewise provided with communicating passageways 20 connecting with its 1y into the lower header grooves 17 and rise simultaneously in all of the grooves 18 into the header groove 16 and the refrigerant va por created by the absorption of the heat will rise to the main header or reservoir 9 through the outlet passageways 20 and return pipes 13.

The present construction also differs from applicants prior construction-in the manner of connecting the inlet and outlet pipes with their respective inlet and outlet passageways formed in the evaporator units. In said former units, those portions of the flat plate, adjacent the semi-cylindrical inlet and outlet passageways formed in the grooved plate, were provided with complementary semi-cylindrical pressed out portions, said adjacent semi-cylindrical portions combining to'form a circular recess for the insertion and securing of the said inlet and outlet ipes. In the present structure the inlet an outlet pipes, where they are connected with the evaporator units, are merely flattened on one side to be inserted in and conform to the semi-cylindrical inlet and outlet passageways formed in the corrugated plate 15, greatly simplifying the construction and assembling of the said units (see Fig. 8).

In Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive various modifications of this same type of evaporators are shown, which modifications, it is thought, need no detail description. With the exception of Fig. 7 they all show a single inlet and a single outlet, but in said Fig. 7 there is illustrated in dotted lines one or more outlet connections, which construction may be in some instances found desirable.

It is also within the scope of the invention, where the evaporator element is to, be used merely as a cooling element, to eliminate the ice pans 4.- and insert in their place one or more evaporator units, according to the size anddcapacity of the evaporator element desire As previously described the fiat of the units 1 and 2 are preferably facedinwardly but it may be desirable especially in connection with the outside units 1, to reverse this arrangement.

It is to be also understood that the specific construction of connecting the inlet and outlet pipes to the evaporator units as described in the present application may be varied and the construction previously used by applicants as set forth in their copending applications may be employed.

What we claim is:

1. In a refrigerating machine of the refrigerant receiving main header, of a series of hollow plate-like evaporator units, said evaporator units each comprisin a flat plate and'a superimposed corrugate plate, and inlet and outlet connections between said header and evaporator units.

2. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of a series of hollow plate-like evaporator units, said evaporator units comprising a flat plate and a I superimposed corrugated plate, said corrugated plate being formed with oppositely arranged header grooves, a series of parallel grooves connecting said header grooves, and inlet and outlet passageways communicating with the respective header grooves and with said main header.

3. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of a series of hollow plate-like evaporator units, said evaporator units-comprising a flat plate and a superimposed corrugated plate, said corrugated plate being formed with oppositely arranged header grooves, a series of parallel grooves connecting said header grooves, providing semi-cylindrical passageways between said plates, and semi-cylindrical inlet and outlet passageways communicating with the' respective header grooves and-with said main header.

4. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving-main header, of a series of vertically disposed hollow plate-like evaporator units, inlet and outlet connections between said main headef and evaporatorunits, and means for maintaining said units in parallel spaced relation. 5. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of a series of vertically disposed hollow plate-like evaporator units, inlet and outlet connections between said main header and evaporator units, and means for spacing said evaporator units to provide an enclosure for a series of ice pans.

r 6. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of an evaporator element comprising vertically disposed outside and intermediate plate-like evaporator units in communication with said main header, means for spacing the outside units from the intermediate units, and means for spacing the intermediate units to provide an enclosure for a series of ice pans.

7. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of an evaporator element comprising vertically disposed-outside and intermediate plate-like 65 flooded type, the combination with a liquid evaporator units in communication with said ticallly evaporator element comprisin said last mentioned main header, means for spacing the outside units from the intermediate units, and verspaced transverse members for spacing t e intermediate units and forming supports for a series of ice pans.

8. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of a series of vertically? disposed hollow plate-like evaporator units, each of said units comprising a flat plate anda superimposed corrugated plate providing semi-cyhndrical passagewa'ys between said plates, semi-cylindrical inlet and outlet assageways in communication with said rst mentioned passageways, and inlet and outlet pipes connecting asageways with the liquid refrigerant receiving header.

9. In a refrigerating machine of the flooded type, the combination with a liquid refrigerant receiving main header, of an verticallly disposed outside and interme iate hollow plate-like evaporator units, each of said units comprisin a flat plate and a su erimposed corrugated plate, said corrugated plate being formed with upper and lower header grooves, a series of parallel grooves connecting1 said header grooves providing cy 'ndrical passageways between sai plates, semi-cylindrical inlet and-outlet passageways in communication with said header grooves, inlet and outlet pipes connecting said last mentioned passageways with the liquid refrigerant receivin main header, means for spacin the outsi e units from the intermediate units and vertically spaced transverse members for spacing the inter mediate units and forming supports for a series of ice pans. A

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ABRAHAM J. KUSEL. GEORGE W. GAIL.

semi- 

